Hi Leslie,
I know you tried Accupuncture,but maybe try it for longer.It helped me with pain but it took doing it every week for 5 months and I would have been very sceptical.I had been in pain,chronic,for 6 years.
Best wishes

Thank you so much. Actually, acupuncture does help me--it puts me to sleep! Had it free after my first knee replacement. I did wonder about having it done for my back. With surgery out as an option due to serious illness in my husband's family, I will try it again.

@leslie324 I was having back pain waiting for my laminectomy, and I tried acupuncture for pain relief. It didn't work for my back pain, but it did help my neck pain. The laminectomy on 12/22/16on my L5-S1 completely relieved my pain in my lower left lumbar and leg. I continued to have right side lumbar, leg, sciatic constant pain and was taking Baclofen 10mg, Gabapentin 300mg x2/day, and Tramadol 50mg 4x /day. I decided after 6 months to taper off both the Baclofen and Gabapentin one at a time. I did so effectively, and I discovered that the Gabapentin seemed to have added to my pain as I felt SO much better off it. I know through my research that Lyrica is the drug they changed slightly when Gabapentin became generically available. So they are very similar drugs.

The thing I have found that has almost completely relieved my chronic pain on my right lumbar, leg, sciatic regions, and relieved my newly developed pain in my right shoulder and upper back, is ART, Active Release Technique therapy that I use. I went through months of PT, and pain pills, and still had the same level of pain. Then I read about ART on Mayo Connect, and decided to try it. Thank goodness I tried it! I went to 6 sessions in 3 weeks, and now I see the Chiropractor 1 time a month. I can walk and go up and down steps without any pain now! I can hardly believe how great I feel now. I saw my pain doctor yesterday and we talked about me tapering off the Tramadol now over the next few weeks. I am SO HAPPY with the ART treatments. They don't involve manipulation of bones, but instead use deep muscle work at the same time the dr. moves your leg or arm or whatever limb is bothering you. It can be, and was often quite painful when manipulating the deep muscle, but it's worth it. This works by unbundling the muscles and nerves that have gotten bound together by some trauma over the years. I am definitely a believer in ART for chronic pain relief. Good luck in your search for relief. Gail B Ledesma

@leslie327 I forgot to mention that I still have pain in my right side lumbar,sciatic, leg, and knee at night. Each night it awakens me, and I have to get up and walk around for it to dissipate. After I awaken in the morning and am up and walking around, I'm fine for the rest of the day. Thanks, Gail B Ledesma

Hi, Gail @gailfaith

What is Tramadol? I guess I could look it up. I've just noticed it showing up lately, and wonder if it's something that might help me, and might replace the Morphine sulfate.

Jim

gailfaith here........you might be responding to the wrong person. I am not familiar with Tramadol.

@jimhd I have been taking Tramadol for about 9 months now and will begin tapering off next week. Tramadol will not replace morphine. It is for medium to hard pain, but doesn't work for the severe pain that morphine is used for. I take the plain 50 mg version, without the acetaminophen. It just takes the edge off my pain until recently when my pain is nearly gone due to ART. I posted about ART elsewhere in the chronic pain posts.

Sorry, @gailfaith

Wrong Gail

Jim

I also get this some nights and what I do now and it's just about stopped is I keep a bottle of Magnesium by my bed and rub down my muscles in my legs. It does help